Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forcibly displaced are living amid the rubble of their destroyed homes, waiting for Israel to allow entry of prefabricated temporary homes stuck at the border with Egypt, which were promised under the terms of the ceasefire.
Israel is only allowing in aid trucks carrying food, water, medical supplies and blankets. But it is blocking the entry of heavy machinery and mobile houses which are still lined up on the Egyptian side of the border.
“It is not quite enough for civilians who are suffering from a very drastic humanitarian situation,” said Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza.
A recent update from the United Nations aid coordination office said nearly one million displaced Palestinians are living in “substandard tents or makeshift shelters, with families resorting to sewing old rice sacks together for basic cover”.
For those displaced Palestinians returning home, the streets are hard to walk on or drive vehicles over because of the rubble and rocks from destroyed neighbourhoods.
“Bulldozers and trucks are much needed now to start the process of clearing areas, including much of the Gaza Strip, with close to 80 percent of it now under rubble,” said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, also reporting from Rafah.